Combining of three or more layers of material together by means of a liquid adhesive substance



ET AL OF MAT 4l* w t 0 h 5R Q Ovwnu S 2T u E e G h O S TE 2 L C AN Allg- 11, 1936- T. RowBol-HAM COMBINING OF THREE OR MORE LAYERS ERI BY MEANS OF A LIQUID ADHESIVE SU STA I Filed Jan. lO, 1935 Aug. 11, 1936. T. RowBoTHAM ET AL 2,050,382

COMBINING OF THREE OR MORE LAYERS OF MATERIAL TOGETHER \BY MEANS 0F A LIQUID ADHESIVE SUBSTANCE Filed Jan. 1o, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Ime/122m t torna!!- Patented Aug.` 1 1, 1936 s UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Thomas Rwbotham, Bramhall; and William Shaw, Stockport, England Application January 10, 1935, Serial No. 1,218

. In Great Britain July 20, 1934 h 4 claims. (01.154-37) f This invention relates to the combining of three or more layers of web material together by means of an aqueous adhesive of non-waterproof nature and consisting of water and glue or an aque- 5 ous paste which is liquid at normal temperature. Previous to our inventionthree or more layers of materials have usually been combined together by means of aqueous flour paste to produce jacquard cards, art papers, paper board and so forth,

the paste being applied in a thick state'and the layers being then pressed hydraulically. This methodof production produced a dulled surface on the lining layers and also caused discoloration of the lining layers.

l5 Prior to our invention it has also been proposed to combine two or more plies of paper together by means of liquid paste or glue by running the plies between heated pressure rollers, the paste or glue being supplied by providing it in a trough l20 formed by opposing surfaces of the heated rollers and the plies running through this trough until they reach the nip of the rollers. -In kthis arrangement the'paste or glue is heated by the rollers and therefore penetrates the material of 25 the plies deeply, the plies are coated to a maximum thickness and the thickness of the coat` Prior to our invention it has also been proposed, I

40 in the combining of layers of material by means of gum or other non-aqueous adhesives which require heat for their liquefaction and are solid when cold, tol heat the non-aqueous adhesive to liquefy it for application to the layers and to 45 keep it in a liquid condition by means of heated rollers until theV layers have been pressed together to unite them, the adhesive then requiring to cool in order to enable it to set or solidify. This arrangement lis not usable for aqueous adhesives 50 of a non-waterproof nature because if it were so used, it would have all of the defects stated in the v preceding paragraph.

It has also been proposed prior to our invention to unite three webs of material together by means 55 of an aqueous paste applied by furnishing rollers only to one side of each of the outermost webs` the three webs then passing between uniting pressure rollers and heating rollers, but in this arrangement there is no provision for preventing f the whole of the water constituent of the paste 5 from becoming trapped between the webs and producing the hereinbefore stated deleterious. effects on the product.

In a proposal for producing lined straw board made prior to our invention the straw board 10 after manufacture and partial drying has a coating of colouring matter applied to it, whereupon it is passed over a heated drying cylinder and round further heatedl drying cylinders, the lining paper being united with the coated side by pressure rollers whilst the straw board is passing over the first of the further drying cylinders.l In this arrangement, for the purpose of uniting with the straw board, the lining paper, immediately before it arrives-between the pressure rollers and the heated drying cylinder cooperating` therewith, is coated on one side with a coat of paste by means of cold furnishing rollers running in a. cold trough. The whole of the water constituent of the paste is therefore trapped between l the lining and the paste board with the hereinbefore stated deleterious consequences to the product.

The object of our invention is to overcome these defects and also to produce a harder product of given thickness with the use of a lessL number of layers of the same thickness.

To attain the hereinbefore stated object Weapply at normal atmospheric temperature a single thin coat of the said aqueous adhesive to'one, 35'

side of the two or more layers of web material, and before the said layers are brought into contact with one another'we evaporate away a large proportion of the water constituent of the 'adhe-l sive by heat, whereby-the adhesive coat is robbed 40 thereof.

-Figure 2 is a plan view of the rst named part of the saidmachine, and Figure 2a` is a plan View of the second named part thereof.

Referring to the drawings, in the construction shown .therein the machine frame I is provided roller 48. The calender rollers 4| Iand 42 have meshing gear wheels 86 and 81 respectively, the roller 42 being drivenfrom" the roller 39 by a chain 88 and sprocket wheels v92 and 93. 'I'he heated'roller 24 is also driven from the heated roller 39 by means of a chain 89 and sprocket l wheels 90 and 9|.

axially disengageable carrier wheel 98. The paddle 95 may be driven from the gear wheel 55 by an axially disengageable carrier wheel 99. The paddle 96 may be driven from the gear wheel 12 by an axially disengageable carrier wheel |90. The paddle 91 may be driven from the gear wheel 61 by air-axially disengageable carrier wheel iol.

All the gearing is so chosen that the surface speeds of the parts in contact with the materials are uniform.

In operation the materials 5 and 1, for example consisting oflining papers and the materials 9, Sand I0 for example each consisting of thicker, single or multiply material such as paper or board are all drawn from the reels thereof by the feed rollers 28, assisted by the coating rollersA 29, the heated rollers 24, 25, 26, and 21, the uniting rollers 31, 38, the heatingrollers 39, 48, and the calender rollers 4I, 42.. One side of each of the materials 6, 1, 9, and I8 receives a thincoat of aqueous glue or paste and the coats are spread and equalized by the rollers 3|, 33, 29, .andv 38 respectively. The materials 6, 1, 9, and l0 are then heated by the hot rollers 24, 25, 26, and 21 and the heat applied thereto is sufficient to drive oi the greater portion of the water from the adhesive so that it is in a nearly drybut still sticky condition when the materials arrive at the nip of the feed rollers 28. At the feed rollers 28 the coated side of the material 1 comes into conl vtact with the uncoatednside of the material I8,

the coated side of which comes into contact with the uncoated side of the material 9. The coated side of the material 9 comes at the said feed rollers into contact with one of the uncoated sides of the material 8, whilst the coated side of the material 6 comes into contact with the other uncoated side of the material 9. Thus a single thin coat of adhesive which has already been robbed of most of its water is present to unite adjacent surfaces together, whilst the outer surfaces of the lining or outer layers are uncoated.

The uniting rollers press the marials together whilst the coats of adhesive are still sticky and thereby cause the coatsto uniformly and securely stiel: the layers of material together. The action of the hot rollers 39, 40 on the united layers drives oftl the nal traces of water from the adhesive and the calender rollers impart a final pressure to the united layers which may then be reeled or out into suitable lengths according to their stiffness or the purpose for which the united material is required.'

Due totheintroduction between the layer ,of/-

dry and therefore is incapable of staining or otherwise changing the alpearance of the material. The pressing of th materials only when they have become already nearly dry avoids any rthinning thereof-and consequently the united ma- 5 terial is greater in thickness than would be the case if the pressure were of long duration and applied to the layers whilst saturated with aqueous adhesive. i

If required, the rollerv 31`may alternatively be of metal without a. rubber covering.

'I'he hereinbefore described machine can also be used to obtain a product composed of only three unitediayers, by omission of the reels of material 9 and i9 and thereby produce a central layer provided on each side with a lining or other layer, v

We claim- 1. A process of combining of three or more layers of web material together by means of an 20 aqueous adhesive of non-waterproofnature and composed of water and gelatine glue which sets at atmospheric temperature, consisting in applying at normal atmospheric temperature a single and in uniting the said layers together by means of the said coated sides only after the said larger proportion of the water has been evaporated away, each coat of adhesive being thereby robbed 35 of the major portion of its water constituent be-y fore the said portion can be absorbed by the layers before they are united and be trapped between the layers when they are united by the adhesivecoats.

2. A process of combining of three or more layers of web materials together by means of an aqueous adhesive of non-waterproof'nature and composed of water and gelatine glue which sets at atmospheric temperature, consisting in run- 45 ning each layer except one over a coating roller furnished with the said aqueous adhesive .in an unheated state for imparting a uniformly thinv coat of the said adhesive' to one side thereof, then immediately thereafter passing each coat- 50 ed layer along a separate path round a separate heated roller for evaporating from each coat of adhesive the major portion of the water contained therein, then guiding the layers separately along separate but convergent paths'forenabling 55 the evaporation of the said portion of thewater to complete itself before the coated sides of laitiers contact with the non-coated sides thereof and thereafter pressing the said layers together and uniting them by the nearly completely predried aqueous adhesive.

3. A process of combining of more thantwo layers of continuously travelling web material 'together by means of an aqueous adhesive of non-waterproof nature and composed of Water and gelatine glue which sets at atmospheric temperat-ure to produce a stii product, consisting in commencing the process with all the layers in a dry state, applying a thin coat of the adhesive in a cold liquid state to one side of all the layers except an inner layer, leaving the said inner layer entirely uncoated and in a dry state, keep*- ing the said layers apart, evaporating o' thel major portion of thev water from the said coats of adhesive whilst the layers are kept separataand thereupon immediately bringing the coated and dry uncoated layers into intimate contact with each other and sticking them all together by the said adhesive before the residue of water` has evaporated from the said coats of adhesive.

4. A machine for use in carrying out the process according to claim 1, comprising the combination and sequence of means for simultaneously coating the layers separately with coats of cold liquid adhesive, equalizing means for equalizing the said coats separately immediately after the application of the said coats tothe layers, evaporating means for simultaneously evaporating water from the said coats separately for bringing the layers together only after the 5 major proportion of water has been evaporated from thesaid coats. and cold pressure rollers for uniting al1 of the layers together by the adhesive after they have been guided together by the guide rollers, all of the said means being com- 10 bined for simultaneous action on the webs whilst they are travelling.

THOMAS ROWBO'IIHAM. WILLIAM SHAW. 

